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AI Deployment Pillars: Overview

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According to ISACA’s 2026 AI Pulse Poll, AI adoption is accelerating faster than AI readiness. Like any innovation, AI implementation comes not only with measuring effectiveness but also with responsible deployment.

Organizations typically navigate three distinct phases when implementing responsible AI: readiness, remediation, and governance. Each phase is crucial to create a sustainable pathway toward artificial intelligence adoption.

Readiness

This phase focuses on understanding your current exposure preferably before deploying any AI solution. Cybersecurity engineers evaluate identity controls, access rights, sharing permissions, and data governance to measure your organization’s readiness to scale AI securely.

Remediation

Following risk identification, remediation closes any gap that could be amplified by AI tools. This phase will improve security controls and data management policies.

Governance

Governance combines policy development, long-term oversight, and executive accountability to keep your organization aligned with risk standards after AI deployment.

Organizations that treat governance as continuous rather than sporadic are better positioned to scale AI in a responsible manner.

Skipping any of these phases may accelerate deployment in the short term but poses long-term cybersecurity risks.

Understanding AI exposure

AI readiness is not just about adoption. It is about securing exposure risks before AI broadens access. So, before enabling Copilot, or any other similar AI-powered assistant, companies must assess the current state of their data environment, e.g. SharePoint sites which contain too many links available to everyone, external sharing settings that have been enabled for different projects but never revoked or properly audited, folder permissions, etc.

Copilot surfaces what users can access. AI readiness assessments verify if access rights and role-based responsibilities are aligned and whether sensitive information is fully protected.

Organizations that perform structured AI readiness assessments gain clarity, identify risks, and apply corrective actions early. Also, it ensures a solid governance foundation.

After years of unmonitored file sharing, evolving permissions, and decentralized collaboration spaces, organizations must transition to a resilient cybersecurity posture.

Remediation & Risk Mitigation

Readiness assessments may reveal gaps that can become liabilities after the AI rollout. Remediation addresses those gaps.

Deploying Copilot broadly without controlling data access and eliminating oversharing exposes organizations to major security and compliance liabilities.

Effective remediation includes enforcing strict data sharing policies, applying sensitivity labels, deploying data loss prevention controls, etc. Therefore, remediation reduces the likelihood of cyberattacks and data mishandling while improving compliance. Prioritizing remediation before scaling AI ensures a seamless adoption.

Building sustainable AI oversight

After readiness and remediation phases are complete, organizations must establish comprehensive oversight protocols. AI governance demands operational discipline.

Among other things, governance includes activity logging, policy definition, and executive accountability. The most effective AI solutions combine machine intelligence with human expertise. A human-in-the-loop approach ensures that AI recommendations are reviewed, refined, and aligned with business objectives, ethical standards, compliance and organizational policies.  A formal AI usage policy identifies the right use cases, defines clear boundaries and responsibilities. So, without documented standards, governance becomes inconsistent and ineffective.

Leadership ownership is essential. Responsible AI requires direct accountability from the team managing compliance monitoring, specifically those who address policy violations and approve AI expansion to the next department. Oversight teams must ensure AI tools remain aligned with industry standards and enterprise objectives.

Organizations should be able to monitor which files Copilot access and how are used. Also, reducing the number of inappropriate queries and unintended actions is equally important.

AI solutions differ from traditional IT systems because they operate conversationally. They synthesize information and have the potential to redistribute it widely and quickly. Therefore, governance should address not only data access but also generated outputs.

Conclusion

Many organizations are already using AI to accelerate workforce productivity and innovation. However, before a broad AI rollout, leadership teams should evaluate their IT systems, remediate any discovered issues, and enforce strict data security policies.

StratusPointIT brings clarity to AI adoption by helping organizations evaluate Copilot and other AI agents based on business value and operational fit.

For professional AI deployment services, Microsoft Copilot consulting, and custom AI solutions, please reach out at 855-397-8776 or www.stratuspointit.com/get-a-quote/.

Microsoft Copilot: Security & Governance

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Microsoft Copilot transforms enterprise workflows by integrating generative AI into everyday operations. Copilot can surface information that is overexposed or poorly classified because it operates based on user permissions. Therefore, aspects such as data integrity, regulatory compliance, and audit readiness are directly connected to AI tool implementation.

Copilot quickly drafts summaries and analyzes business-relevant data. So, if sensitive data is poorly organized, AI will accelerate its visibility. If access controls are loose or inconsistent, AI will expose those vulnerabilities faster than any other traditional tool.

Sensitivity Labels, Encryption, And Data Loss Prevention

Copilot uses Zero Trust architecture, tenant isolation, and encryption to protect sensitive business data. To help simplify and secure access, Microsoft introduced a set of solutions that help organizations govern, protect, and manage data in the era of AI – Microsoft Purview. These solutions support data governance with sensitivity labels, data loss prevention rules, audit logs, etc.

Copilot applies Microsoft Purview sensitivity label protections which help protect data across Microsoft 365. When a sensitivity label is applied to a file, an email, or a Teams message, Copilot will abide by that label. So, if a file is labeled “Confidential,” Copilot will restrict its response.

Also, when encryption is applied through a label, Copilot will access that data only if the user has “Extract” and “View” permissions. The output will inherit the original sensitivity label. For instance, if the user refers to a labeled file, the new content will automatically receive the same classification.

Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 strictly respects existing SharePoint and OneDrive permissions. If a user does not have permission to access a specific SharePoint or OneDrive site, library, or folder, Copilot cannot search it, read it, or use it to generate answers.

Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance allows organizations to monitor Copilot interactions. This tool detects any inappropriate or risky prompts and responses. It comes with policy templates which allow your IT security team to identify confidential data sharing, abusive language, and other risks. Administrators can define which user groups the policies cover, adjust the monitoring levels, and configure other custom settings.

Audit logs and eDiscovery tools record all user interactions with Copilot. The logs will inherit the existing retention and deletion policies set in SharePoint and Exchange. For transparency, all Copilot prompts and responses are stored in user mailboxes and can be easily exported and used for compliance-related aspects, legal matters, etc.

Bottom Line

From drafting reports to summarizing meetings, Copilot has streamlined daily workflows at every level but managing how it interacts with enterprise data is crucial.

A recent study conducted by IT Brew found that 45% of AI implementers cited new security vulnerabilities or compliance risks as their primary challenge.

Also, governance policies should address not only access but also output. Administrators should configure rules that audit or block any sensitive information inside prompts and responses as data governance ensures that productivity gains do not come at the cost of data protection, regulatory compliance, or internal policy violations.

Business leaders must approach AI governance carefully as it determines whether AI becomes a competitive advantage or an imminent danger.

If you are looking to optimize workflows with Microsoft Copilot and deploy it securely, please reach out to StratusPointIT at 855-397-8776 or www.stratuspointit.com.

Advanced Persistent Threat: Overview

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An Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is a sophisticated cyberattack for which perpetrators plan their campaign thoroughly against strategic targets and carry it out over a prolonged period of time.

The consequences of such attacks are intellectual property theft, website or database takeover, obtaining access to critical systems, etc.

Unique Characteristics

APTs often occur during cyberattacks designed to distract IT security teams. There are several signs that point towards an advanced persistent threat. These signs include:

Specific Objectives

Cybercriminals will try to undermine target capabilities and gather data over an extended period. They often conduct extensive reconnaissance before choosing the entry point.

Preferred Methods

APT attacks involve sophisticated techniques which require cybersecurity expertise. They generally avoid traditional detection tools because perpetrators use modern techniques, such as fileless malware and methods that enable them to cover their actions.

Attack Phases

Security experts identify five distinct phases of such cyberattacks from the initial access to data exfiltration.

1st Phase: Initial access

While hackers usually gain access through phishing campaigns targeting privileged user accounts, they also exploit application vulnerabilities and gaps in security tools.

2nd Phase: Malware deployment

After they gain access, cybercriminals install malware that allows them to access and control the compromised system remotely. Also, they may use advanced techniques such as encryption to hide their tracks.

3rd Phase: Expand access

During this phase hackers will gather more information about the target network in order to exploit other weaknesses inside the network to get deeper access or to control more sensitive systems.

4th Phase: Identify the right data

Once they have expanded their presence, attackers identify the right data and copy it to a secret location inside the network, usually encrypted and compressed.

5th Phase: Data exfiltration

Perpetrators will transfer data outside the network. To do that they usually conduct “white noise attacks” to distract the IT security team, later removing any evidence of the transfer.

Cybercriminals will remain inside the network and wait for other opportunities. Also, attackers aim to establish stealthy backdoors to maintain access even if the intrusion is detected.

If left undetected, hackers can continue harvesting data, causing more damage to the organization.

Detection & Defense Strategies

Here are a few tips that can help you and your team detect and defend your organization against such threats.

Implement layered security with a data-driven approach.

APT attackers combine social engineering and modern stealthy techniques. Make sure to use a layered security strategy that integrates threat intelligence to detect and correlate patterns.

Deploy endpoint telemetry and track behavioral patterns.

APT attackers are both resourceful and patient, so the attacks usually involve sophisticated lateral movement and persistence mechanisms. Use endpoint detection and response solutions to baseline normal behavior across your endpoints and users.

Deviations and suspicious attempts like accessing sensitive systems at odd hours can be key indicators of advanced persistent threats.

Deploy DNS and network traffic monitoring.

These focused attacks often rely on stealthy communication channels. Consequently, detecting suspicious operations or data exfiltration attempts will require continuous monitoring.

Improve incident response for multi-phased attacks.

As we have seen, APTs are multi-phased and may involve silent persistence followed by data exfiltration. Develop and test your incident response plan that address long-term stealthy intrusions and persistent malware.

For a professional approach against emerging cyber threats, please reach out to StratusPointIT at 855-397-8776.

Passwords Are Dying: The Rise of Passkeys

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Most users manage various accounts, from banking apps to social media, shopping websites, and everything in between. Securing these accounts is always a challenge. According to the Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, 60% of data breaches involved an element of human error.

Modern password managers maintain strong, unique credentials for every account, but as technology evolves, so do authentication methods.

Enterprises successfully manage thousands of credentials used by global teams every day. Organizations need reliable authentication while maintaining an efficient and secure collaboration, so understanding the key differences between passwords and passkeys will help decision makers choose the best approach for their specific needs.

Let’s explore both authentication options, examining their features, implementation protocols, and implications for your organization’s security.

What Are Passkeys?

Firstly, both passwords and passkeys have their strengths when users leverage strong and unique credentials for every account. Passkeys have inherent security features, such as resistance to brute force and phishing attacks.

Passkeys use public key encryption and biometric verification for a more secure authentication than traditional user and password combination.

Unlike passwords (which need to be remembered or securely stored), passkeys are cryptographic key pairs where the private key remains on the user’s device and the public key is stored on the service’s server. Authentication occurs when the device proves possession of the private key. Nothing confidential is sent across the internet during the login process.

So, logging in with a passkey typically means using the device’s built-in authentication method, such as a fingerprint, face scan, or PIN. This makes the whole process user friendly and most importantly, secure.

Passwords vs Passkeys

These authentication methods have distinct characteristics.

Passwords, when professionally managed with a password manager, provide secure authentication based on something you know. Password managers eliminate the need to remember complex passwords while ensuring users have strong and unique credentials for each account.

On the other hand, passkeys are phishing-resistant and offer built-in multifactor authentication. When you sign in, your device prompts you for a face scan, fingerprint, or PIN to get the private key, which then signs the challenge and sends the signature back to the server to verify it using the public key.

Passkeys and password managers transform both cybersecurity and user experience, eliminating the need to remember complex passwords and reducing the level of risk and vulnerability to emerging cyberattacks.

Phishing Resistance

A sophisticated website clone (or autofill) can trick you into providing your credentials.

Passkeys are cryptographically linked to a specific website or app. Therefore, a passkey for yahoo.com will not respond to yah00.com. It is physically impossible to give your passkey to a hacker.

In the case of a user/password combination, you and the website both know your password. If the website’s database is leaked, your account is exposed and can be hacked.

The User’s Perspective

The user often has to remember a master password, or deal with 2FA codes, SMS or Authenticator apps, and periodically change strings.

With passkeys one will utilize what he/she already uses to unlock a smart device: a screen lock PIN, facial, or fingerprint recognition. So, the process combines “something you have” which is your device with “something you are” (biometrics) in one step.

Also, if you lose your manager’s master key, you are usually in trouble unless you have a recovery code. However, passwords are easy to move between different brands of devices.

Syncing & Backups

To prevent losing access if a device is lost, passkeys can be securely synchronized across devices using cloud providers. These services use end-to-end encryption to protect the private key, which means that even cloud providers cannot access your key.

Conclusion

Passkeys use cryptographic key pairs where only the user’s device holds the private key, and authentication occurs after proving possession of this key.

While a password manager is a massive security upgrade over using easy passwords for everything, passkeys are the gold standard because they limit the human element from the security equation entirely.

For a professional approach to cybersecurity, please reach out to StratusPointIT at 855-397-8776.

Emerging AI Threats To Cybersecurity

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While organizations benefit from technological advancements to further increase productivity, hackers exploit artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to launch cyberattacks at scale.

AI-powered tools can amplify traditional social engineering attacks by creating highly realistic phishing or impersonation campaigns. Here are several types of threats that you should be aware of. Let’s dig in.

Fraudulent attempts involving AI

Malicious actors who utilize AI tools create advanced phishing campaigns that closely replicate trusted sources, increasing the success rate of attacks. For instance, last year, $25.6 million was extracted from a multinational design and engineering company by using AI-generated voice and images of real employees.

Web scraping is the process of extracting data from websites using dedicated tools and organizing it into structured formats like databases. Instead of manually copying it, bad actors can systematically collect data from web pages using AI tools to eventually use it to clone websites or web applications.

Excessive AI autonomy without proper safeguards allows malicious users to execute illegitimate activities. Such actions could include financial transactions or other high-stake operations based on manipulated data.

LLMjacking is a type of resource hijacking where cybercriminals use AI infrastructure and its computational power for training malicious models or for other fraudulent activities. This behavior increases operational costs and degrades system performance.

Adversarial attacks are techniques that manipulate input data to deceive AI models that result in unexpected outputs, potentially leading to security breaches.

Model inversion attacks – where attackers reconstruct sensitive training data by analyzing the outputs of an AI model, exposing proprietary or personal information.

Hallucinations & The Black-box Nature of AI

AI hallucinations also contribute to misinformation. Such responses often seem accurate but can contain errors ranging from slight inconsistencies to complete fabrications with potentially harmful effects.

The black-box nature of AI refers to the opacity of the decision-making process which leads to concerns about accountability and security flaws, making it susceptible to exploitation by malicious actors.

Take Necessary Measures

Keeping your organization secure and operational requires defensive solutions that outpace offensive AI.

Make sure you do not share any personal or business information with a large language model (LLM). Such tools may store your input to train future models, potentially leading to confidential data leaks.

Invest in cybersecurity training programs to strengthen security awareness across your organization.

Search for security issues in AI environments through risk assessments.

Create a step-by-step guide for integrating your AI security strategy.

Safeguard AI training data and adopt a secure-by-design approach for safe implementation.

Unfortunately, cybercriminals are using AI tools that sometimes are so advanced to be stopped by legacy solutions or human response alone. Managed security service providers (MSSPs) use AI-driven cybersecurity solutions that can detect and mitigate AI-generated threats.

The longer it takes to detect a threat, also known as “discovery time,” the more potential damage to your organization. A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution will identify real threats faster so your response team can act quickly before a breach occurs. It provides real-time visibility into what’s happening across your entire network 24/7.

User and entity behavior analytics in advanced SIEM solutions utilize AI and deep learning to look at patterns of human behavior.

Also, according to the 2026 ISACA Tech Trends report, 63% of IT and cybersecurity professionals have identified AI-driven social engineering as a top security threat in 2026.

Conclusion

Today, hackers slowly move beyond ‘simple’ AI-generated malware and begin developing AI-powered malware, enabling far more devastating attacks. Unlike traditional malware, AI-powered malware will be smarter, performing functions autonomously to bypass outdated IT security.

AI systems can be exploited to generate misleading or harmful content at large scale. Therefore, securing AI is a collective responsibility that requires proactive measures at every level of your organization.

Implementing robust governance, leveraging advanced tools, and fostering a culture of awareness can mitigate risks while pursuing innovation.

The time to act is now. For a professional approach against emerging cyber threats, please reach out to StratusPointIT at 855-397-8776.

Why Your Business Needs an MSP: Key Benefits

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For many small and mid-sized organizations, partnering with a managed services provider is a necessity for overcoming the complex challenges of today’s digital landscape.

Most companies are large enough to need professional IT support and strong cybersecurity, but they often lack the resources to sustain a comprehensive IT department.

The main benefit is that collaborating with a professional IT provider will give your team peace of mind and support that scales with your business.

IT Outsourcing | Advantages

One of the most ignored benefits of partnering with a managed services provider is the cost-effective solution it offers. Our research reveals that teaming up with a business IT support provider will allow your organization to access Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Technology Advisory resources while saving more than 40% on the total cost of hiring an internal IT specialist. It also reduces time-to-hire considerably.

Some of the most important benefits of IT outsourcing for small and medium businesses are stronger cybersecurity, predictable costs, 24/7 network and security monitoring, faster issue resolution, and access to specialized and senior-level expertise which is more difficult and expensive to hire internally.

Here is an overview of why small and mid-sized companies turn to outsourced IT and how the right IT support provider can improve cybersecurity and daily operations.

Predictable & Low IT Costs

Outsourcing replaces unplanned expenses with a predictable monthly cost. This gives leadership better budget allocation visibility. This way you avoid hiring and training expenses and any unexpected costs.

Professional Cybersecurity

The right IT provider will not only support your servers, workstations, and network, it will handle regular security awareness training, phishing and spam protection, patch management, advanced endpoint protection such as managed detection and response (MDR), etc.

Note! MDR combines Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) with a 24/7/365 Security Operations Center (SOC) for improved security.

Senior-Level Expertise

IT leaders with advanced skills are hard to recruit and expensive to retain. A strategic IT partner will give you access to specialists in cloud architecture, advisory services, cybersecurity, compliance, infrastructure, etc.

You get enterprise-grade guidance without full-time salaries.

Better Uptime & Faster Resolution

Professional IT support providers employ a full team of engineers and technicians, so your IT support stays active and responsive, regardless of unexpected absences, vacations, or sick leave applications.

This generally means quicker response times, proactive monitoring, fewer outages, and faster fixes.

Compliance

Many industries face strict regulations to ensure ethical conduct and data security.

A managed services provider will help businesses maintain relevant documentation, pass compliance audits, and reduce data breach risk.

This is especially valuable when internal teams do not have compliance expertise.

Scalable Resources

Eliminate the bottleneck of long hiring cycles. As your footprint grows through new locations or acquisitions, the allocated resources will scale on demand, giving you the ability to expand your infrastructure with a simple service update.

Small and medium businesses typically outsource IT when they:

  • lack cybersecurity resources and expertise
  • struggle with hiring and retention
  • experience frequent outages
  • are growing fast and need their IT to scale at the same pace
  • need strategic technology planning
  • are preparing for compliance audits.

Outsourcing your IT is a fast way to raise the maturity of your IT operations without rebuilding the structure of your organization.

The right IT support company should provide:

  • Access to Security Operations Center (SOC)
  • Access to Network Operations Center (NOC)
  • patch management
  • professional cybersecurity services
  • advisory services
  • onsite and remote IT support
  • clear pricing
  • regular and comprehensive reporting.

Conclusion

The majority of SMBs lack the resources to hire and maintain a internal IT security team, so outsourcing addresses this need immediately and affordably.

Collaborating with an MSP gives organizations stability and optionality, while offering the strategic depth of a complete IT department without the cost and hassle of building one internally.

Your Phone Number Can Make You a Target

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In the last few years, attempts to exploit phone numbers have become increasingly common. The abundance of sensitive information online enables hackers to gather more data easily.

Let’s assess how hackers find and fraudulently use your phone number, as well as what you can do to defend yourself and your business against such threats.

Have You Been Targeted?

There are various incentives for hackers to acquire as much personal data as they possibly can. If a cybercriminal finds your phone number, they can target you and your organization in various ways, as it is often linked to more sensitive data like banking details or email addresses.

Bad actors often pose as legitimate businesses, deceiving the victims into sharing their phone numbers usually through shady web forms, phishing emails, etc.

There are many apps and websites that require personal information, such as a phone number and an email address during a registration process. If these entities don’t take data security seriously, your sensitive data could be exposed.

Fraudulent Methods

Today, companies store vast amounts of customer data within their databases. If these systems get breached, sensitive customer data is at risk.

Hackers utilize several methods for grabbing relevant data.

Sometimes scammers dig through your social media profiles, personal or business websites to find this information.

In data breaches, cybercriminals hack entire databases which may include phone numbers, email addresses, and social security numbers.

In phishing scams, perpetrators impersonate a trusted authority, such as your bank or a government agency, to convince you to share any sensitive data.

Scam calls are another fraudulent method that cybercriminals use. These are more common than you might think. A 2025 Pew Research Center report found that 31% of Americans get a scam call every day and 68% of US adults receive scam phone calls at least once a week.

Also, data brokers legally sell personal data for marketing purposes, creating opportunities which hackers can exploit.

Being Proactive Is Crucial

The best way to protect your phone number is to be aware of when and where you are sharing it. Do not share it online and make sure that you don’t give it out to anyone you don’t trust, whether it is a business or an individual.

Never give out company financial details on the phone unless you prompted the discussion, and if you are uncomfortable with a phone call you have received, just hang up and call the company back using the official phone number, the one listed on their website.

Beware of phishing attempts. If cybercriminals have your phone number, you must be careful every time you receive a dubious SMS or call. Hackers may use these tactics to deceive you and steal even more sensitive information damaging your business, your reputation, etc.

Never reuse passwords; create a unique one for every account. This remains highly effective even if your phone number is public or exposed without your permission.

Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) as it strengthens the security of your online accounts. In addition to the user/password combination, MFA asks you to also enter a one-time password generated in an authenticator app or use a physical security key. This makes it much more difficult for hackers to access your accounts, even if you accidentally disclose your password to a bad actor.

Regularly check your business bank statements for any unauthorized activity. If you notice anything suspicious, don’t hesitate to report it.

Get fraud alerts. There are mobile carriers which offer services that warn you if something suspicious is happening with your account (e.g., an unlawful attempt to transfer your number from one device to another).

Stay updated on the latest cybersecurity threats and best practices. Increased awareness ensures that you and your team will be better prepared to defend against emerging cyberattacks.

Bottom Line

Cybersecurity is as much about individual awareness as it is about technical solutions. If you don’t take steps to protect your company information, it will be easy for hackers to steal it. Stay vigilant.

For a professional cybersecurity approach, please reach out to StratusPointIT.

Free Software: Costly Malware

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Earlier this year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a stark warning about an increasingly recurring scam involving free online document converter tools and encouraged victims to report such scams.

To perform this scheme, hackers use any type of free file converter or downloader tool. This might be a website claiming to convert one type of file to another, for instance a DOCX or XLSX document to a PDF file. It might also claim to combine files, joining multiple PNG files into one PDF file.

Free tools, such as PDF readers and file converters, should be avoided because you may end up installing potential adware, or straight-up malware that can take over your workstation or your network.

Victims may not realize they have been infected by malware until it is too late, when their device is either infected with ransomware or their identity has been stolen.

Free Software Is Usually Not Free

Any free software should be a red flag.

Simply put, what they are getting is the opportunity to plant hidden software on your device or to use your network for their benefit.

Some makers of free software are just in it to destroy or defraud. They plant malware on your workstation and possibly your whole network.

Other providers are in it to make use of your resources for their benefit. These pieces of software install hidden code on the targeted device, slowing it down. At this point, hackers can use your device making it part of a bot network, giving the perpetrator access to your workstation’s processing capability and to your network.

There is another category of product developers who are in it for the information they can steal and use to make money. This type of software hacks into your company’s database and extracts sensitive information. Such data is then used for identity theft, targeted marketing, exploiting vulnerabilities, etc.

The User’s Perspective

Will the user benefit in any way? Probably not. A smart hacker will develop a package that serves a need, so you won’t realize you have a problem for a while.

For however long the hidden software remains undetected, cybercriminals will use your workstation and network for their own interests.

This type of product promises to serve a need but once installed it promptly loads malware taking down your workstation and network.

If you have a software need, don’t just look for free software. Find a legitimate developer and start a trial, as it will do the job better and most importantly, in a secure way.

If the software meets your needs, then pay for it and use it in a secure manner.

Free software is not free if it comes from an internet ad. It will cost you plenty in case you have to repair the damage it causes.

Conclusion

Free software is risky. It can be one of the most dangerous things you will run into while operating your business as it can cause downtime, potential loss of data, compliance penalties, etc.

Therefore, it would be best for users to submit a ticket to their IT support provider if they need a specific file reader or conversion tool versus randomly searching on the internet and stumbling on malware. Most times MSPs already have such programs, or they can start the process of acquiring the software their customers need.

For a professional cybersecurity assessment, please reach out to StratusPointIT. Keeping your enterprise, your people, and your data safe is our focus.

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